Wind-proof clothes pin



Feb. 5, 1963 c. R. PRIOLO WIND-PRO0F CLOTHES PIN Filed Oct 19, 1961 INVENTOR.

CHARLES R. PfP/OLO 3,076,242 WIND-PROtJF (ZLQTHES PIN Charles R. Priolo, 231 S. th Ave, Mount Vernon, NY. Filed Oct. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 146392 1 Claim. (Ci. 24-138) This invention relates generally to wooden clothes pins, and more specifically to certain new and improved features in the design of such pins in order to render them more robust and to impart greater gripping action.

The conventional clothes pin comprises a substantially cylindrical block of wood which is provided with an elongated inwardly tapering slot disposed centrally of the width and terminating inwardly of one end. This design of pin has not proved entirely satisfactory in operation due partly to the relatively low gripping tension which is provided by spaced prongs which form the slot in the pin, and also due to the fact that stresses set up in the wood whilst in use tend to cause the pin to split longitudinally of its length and render the thing useless. Attempts have been made to provide clothes pins with increased gripping tension by providing coiled springs or spring clips to produce the desired tension. Such clips have proved to have a relatively short life due to their exposure to constant moisture, and the rust and corrosion which develops is likely to mark the article which is being secured by the pin. My invention is directed towards the provision of a unitary peg structure which afiords greatly increased gripping tension, and eliminates the tendency for the pin to split whilst under tension.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a clothes pin of unitary structure which is exeeedingly efiicient in operation and which is vastly superior in gripping properties when compared with other types of pins presently available on the market.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a wooden clothes pin wherein the gripping stresses are substantially absorbed in compression as opposed to tension which is inherent in the conventional pin.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a clothes pin of novel construction which is simple in design and may be manufactured economically at low cost.

Briefly, the invention comprises the provision of a pin which is formed from fiat stock and is provided with an inwardly tapering opening extending from one end of the pin in a symmetrical manner. The opening communicates at its inner end with the arcuate end of a slot which extends parallel to one side of the opening and terminates inwardly of the tapering end of the pin. A second slot is formed in the other leg of the pin and extends parallel with the remaining tapering side of the opening so as to communicate therewith in the vicinity of the outer end of the said opening.

A full understanding of the details of the invention, together with further advantages, will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the unitary clothes pin structure which comprises my invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the pin showing the relationship of the central tapered opening and the related parallel slots.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the pin shown in use.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral 5 represents the clothes pin which is formed from flat stock and is provided with opposed parallel flat faces 6. The pin is cut with shaped sides 7 to provide an eliptical head 8 and spaced parallel side edges 9. The lower 3,076,242 Patented Feb. 5, 19$? end of the pin is bifuracted by providing an inwardly tapering opening 10 which extends longitudinally and centrally of the pin so as to terminate at 11. The side edges 9 are curved at 12 so as to converge on the tapering opening and form two relatively blunt ends 13. The bifurcation formed by the opening 10 divides the pin into two spaced arms 14 and 15.

The inner end of the tapering opening 10 communicates with an elongated slot 16 which extends centrally through the arm 15 and substantially parallel to the adjacent tapering side of the opening. The slot 16 terminates inwardly of the end 13 with a circular hole 17 so as to form an inwardly extending tongue 18. The remaining arm 14 is provided with a slot 19 which communicates with the tapered opening 11} at 20 at a location adjacent the outer end of the opening and in line with the hole 17 in the spaced arm 15. The slot 19 terminates with a hole 21 disposed in the eliptical head of the pin so as to form a downwardly or outwardly extending tongue 22.

In operation, the clothes pin is applied in a conventional manner so as to grippingly engage with material 23 on a line 24 as indicated in FIG. 3. The two tongues 1.8 and 22 are forced outwardly from one another so as to tend to close the two slots 16 and 19. The gripping forces applied to the material involves compressive stresses which will be absorbed in the terminating holes '17 and 21 located at opposite ends of the spaced arms 14 and 15. The gripping stress is thus well distributed and provides pressures which are almost double that afforded by the conventional two prong pin, and cloth ing secured by the pin of this invention will not become separated from the line even in severe wind conditions. Further, due to the distribution of stress and the nature of stress set up in the pin, splitting or breakage of the same is greatly reduced.

Having described the invention in a preferred form, it will be appreciated that some modifications may be made to the precise configuration, without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, as defined by the following claim.

I claim:

A windproof clothes pin, comprising, a pin formed from flat stock, there being a tapered opening extending inwardly from one end of the pin and terminating inwardly spaced from the other end thereof, two spaced arms formed by said opening, there being a slot curved to communicate with the termination of the opening and extending longitudinally of one of the arms, there being a circular hole formed near the end of said one arm to form a terminatoin for the slot, and there being a second slot extending longitudinally within the second arm and curved to communicate with the opening adjacent the outer end thereof, there being a second circular hole disposed beyond the inner end of the opening to form a termination for the second slot, said slots forming tongues extending from opposite ends of the opening and being disposed in a spaced inwardly tapering relationship with each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Italy Apr. 8, 1949 

